China, People's Republic of : Sustainable Forest-Grassland Management in the Middle Reaches of the Yellow River Basin

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Agricultural policy, institutional and capacity development - Agricultural production - Land-based natural resources management - Water-based natural resources management

The TA subproject aims to support the implementation of the guidance note by developing appropriate technical, policy, and financial solutions for sustainable forest and grassland management in the middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin in Shanxi Province. These solutions will help restore forest and grassland ecosystems, contribute to soil erosion reduction in the Shanxi Loess Plateau, and reduce sediment load in the Yellow River. The TA subproject will further help build up resilience against climate change through sustainable economic development and revenue generation activities in ecosystem conservations. It will support the Shanxi government priorities for restoration of major ecosystems in the Taihang and Lvliang Mountain region. The design and monitoring framework of the TA subproject is in Appendix 1. The SFGB will be the executing agency and the Shanxi Academy of Forestry and Grassland Sciences (SAFGS) will be the implementing agency of the TA subproject.

The knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) cluster forms part of ADB's Yellow River Ecological Corridor (YREC) program, a multisector programmatic approach that supports the goals of the PRC's Yellow River Basin (YRB) Ecological Protection and High-quality Development Program, 20212035 to prioritize ecological protection and promote high-quality green development in the YRB. The TA cluster comprises a series of subprojects, each focused on different aspects of river basin management, to help achieve the aims of the YREC program. The TA cluster was approved on 28 October 2020. So far, seven subprojects were approved under the TA cluster. The overall TA cluster is estimated to cost $2.18 million, of which $1.93 million will be financed on a grant basis from the Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF-other sources) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). A minor change in scope and increase in TA amount was approved on 6 July 2021. The change includes addition of three new subprojects (including this subproject) with an additional $900,000 from TASF-other sources, bringing the total TA cluster amount to $3.13 million.

Shanxi Province is a uniquely important area for the protection of the Yellow River. The Lvliang Mountain range in Shanxi Province, located in the Loess Plateau, is part of the national key ecological barriers. Desertification accounts for 28% of the land area in the northern part of the province. About 13.8% of the sediment transported through the Yellow River is produced in the province. The poor ecological environment has a profound effect on people's livelihoods. Many Shanxi counties in the YRB are among the least developed in the province. A Blue Book of the Yellow River Basin jointly published by researchers from riparian provinces systematically reviewed the challenges and opportunities facing ecological protection and high-quality development in the basin. Ecological protection is a prerequisite, and a key driver for rural vitalization and rebalancing urban-rural inequalities. Accordingly, the Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau (SFGB) published a guidance note on ecological restoration and management for Shanxi's grasslands.

The TA subproject complements the other subprojects of the TA cluster by focusing on the grassland and forestry management in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Better grassland and forestry management will help not only the local ecosystems, but also improve soil conservation in the main sediment production areas and reduce sediment load and flood intensity in the Yellow River.

Resilient ecological protection and security in the Yellow River Basin achieved (PRC's Outline of the Rural Vitalization Plan, 20182022; ADB Strategy 2030)

Management of forest and grassland in Shanxi Province improved

Ecosystem services of forest and grassland evaluated

Lvliang Mountain vegetation restoration guidelines developed

Forest-grassland high-quality development plan produced

Forest-grassland protection capacity enhanced

Four individual consultants had been mobilized in Q4 2021: (i) Grassland and Forestry Management Specialist/Team Leader; (ii) Ecological Conservation and Planning Specialist; (iii) Agriculture/Forestry Economist; and (iv) Grassland and Forestry Ecologist. The goods and office equipment were also procured under the TA in in Q2 2022.

The TA was extended until 30bSeptember 2024 and all the consults contracts were also extended. The total disbursement of the TA as of 28 September is $109,939.82.